[001] Take me to your Cinnabon

[beetleboyblue]

[video clicks on to show a friendly-looking teenager smiling at the camera]

...I have to say, when I signed on for this thing, I kind of expected to see some kind of soulless ship cabin that I'd have to put posters all over or something. Not, you know. My bedroom. Not that I'm complaining or anything! I like having my bedroom, and not having to share a bathroom with Milagro, and...

I'm pretty sure no one needs to know any of this. Sorry.

I'm Jaime Reyes—I'm going to be a warden here. Anyone know what's for dinner tonight?

[video clicks off, then immediately clicks on again, though Jaime is not looking at the camera]

What?  No.  Of course I didn't ask about Cinnabon.

...

Because there is no Cinnabon here.  This isn't a vacation.

...

Sometimes, we have to go places without Cinnabon.  It's one of the sacrifices we make for the greater good.

...

Look, this is not a discussion.  There will be cinnamon rolls if God wills it, okay?

...

It's not fatalistic, it's realistic, and--

[video clicks off again]

Comments

[sixthanimorph.livejournal.com]

.. C'mon, man. Do I look like an alien? [Congratulations, Jaime, he's officially amused.]

[beetleboyblue.livejournal.com]

[He grins back.] Well, no. But neither does Superman, and you just said you could shapeshift.

[sixthanimorph.livejournal.com]

[He laughs.] Okay, fair enough. I'm no alien, just a kid who found some alien tech. That's how I do the shapeshifting thing.

[beetleboyblue.livejournal.com]

[Man, those aliens just love leaving their tech around, don't they?]

That's a pretty cool trick--bet you're fun at parties. [grin]

[sixthanimorph.livejournal.com]

[And what's with the their shtick for the color blue? Blue box, blue beetle... there's a definite theme here.]

I would be if we had any parties on this thing. [smirks.] The other day this girl got locked out of her room, so I morphed a dinosaur to kick the door in. So if you ever get locked outta your room, you know who to call.

[beetleboyblue.livejournal.com]

I'll definitely keep that in mind if I need help breaking into my room.

...I really hope that doesn't happen. What kind of crazy place is this? The Admiral is a lunatic, the ship is rotting, and people are getting locked out of their rooms?

[sixthanimorph.livejournal.com]

The other stuff's new, but the Admiral's always been a lunatic. Personally, I don't see why anyone would get on this thing if they didn't have to.

[beetleboyblue.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking it's because they didn't include any of the crazy stuff on the brochure. They focused on the "helping people" part, and left out the "chaos and darkness" part.

[sixthanimorph.livejournal.com]

What, you didn't even get bribed with the whole deal thing? I'm pretty sure that's the other reason why most wardens are here.

[beetleboyblue.livejournal.com]

Well, that didn't hurt. But the first bait he offered was helping people. Then came the deal. At least, that's how it went for me.

[sixthanimorph.livejournal.com]

Usually it's the other way around. What's your deal?

[beetleboyblue.livejournal.com]

[Wry grin] Helping a friend of mine that got hurt because of me.

[sixthanimorph.livejournal.com]

[He nods, accepting that.] That's a better reason than most wardens have.

[beetleboyblue.livejournal.com]

Yeah? A lot of people here for fabulous wealth and show-stopping fame? I mean, I thought about that, but then there's the whole paparazzi problem... So not worth it.

[sixthanimorph.livejournal.com]

More like a lot of people are here just for stuff they want. Like one dude, he just wants to resurrect his dead girlfriend, and fuck anyone else. Then there's a guy who wants the Admiral to restore his pride, or something. I even heard there's this one warden who's a robot, and it's here so it can go back and kill someone.

[beetleboyblue.livejournal.com]

...Seriously? A robot that wants to kill everyone, and that's why they're here?

[sixthanimorph.livejournal.com]

Yup. You'd have to ask one of the other wardens for the full story, though. We inmates only get to hear so much.

[beetleboyblue.livejournal.com]

Guess I'll just have to ask around about it. Sounds like... a pretty weird deal to have, if "helping people" is the goal. I don't know. Maybe the Admiral's really just chaotic-neutral, or something.

[sixthanimorph.livejournal.com]

Forget alignment, the Admiral's just plain nuts.

[beetleboyblue.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm starting to get that sense.